Chuck Sweeny: Listen to the call of the red-breasted gaming warbler

I can tell spring will arrive soon because the red-breasted gaming warblers have returned to Illinois.

You've all heard their familiar "Tra-lee! This is the year, awwk!" song. They chirp it when snow is still on the ground and end it just before Memorial Day. And then they're gone for another year.

Illinois has 10 casinos, the limit allowed under state law. Promoters of more gambling casinos for Illinois are, indeed, chirping their familiar song this year, telling us that conditions are now right for more casino gambling in the state. One of those casino licenses would be designated for Rockford, with others going to Chicago, Danville, one in Lake County and one in the south suburbs.

At least, that's what the gambling bill has said for the past few years. That bill has never passed, because the owners of the 10 casinos don't want more competition and they've had the clout to stop it.

Two reasons this is supposed to be the year for casino expansion have to do with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel being desperate for cash to balance the city's budget, and Illinois' horse racing tracks seeking a boost from video slots to stay afloat. In our instant society, people aren't as willing to spend three hours at the track as they used to be. So, racetracks would become "racinos" featuring many video slots.

A casino in Chicago makes sense because it's a huge tourist and convention destination. Only in Chicago would a new casino attract a large number of gamblers from other states and countries.

I doubt many visitors beyond Beloit's northern boundary would waltz into Rockford to gamble; a casino here would mostly diminish the supply of local money that would otherwise be used at retail stores or to pay household bills.

I also think the explosion of video gambling machines in bars, clubs and restaurants has dried up the market for a grand casino, judging from what I see around Rockford and nearby suburbs.

And the trend isn't abating. At its monthly meeting Jan. 15, the Illinois Gaming Board approved video gaming licenses for six more Rockford area establishments: The Rathskeller and Sausage Shop, Ellida Lodge Home Association, The American Lombardi Society, Lucha Cantina, Mr. J's Bar and Grill, Pinewoods Restaurant Group d/b/a Molly's Deli.

For some small restaurant and pub owners, video gambling is providing the money they need to stay profitable at a time when people have fewer discretionary dollars to spend. Some don't appreciate the new video gambling parlours that are popping up on key thoroughfares like East State Street.

I don't gamble, but I don't mind if you gamble. Wether we approve of video gambling or not, it's here to stay, and it's popular. The Register Star reported in October that video gamblers in Illinois spent $2.5 billion in the year since the machines went live. "Video gaming terminals are now raking in nearly $30 million a month, making them more profitable than nine of the state's 10 riverboat casinos," the story said.

So enjoy the song of the red-breasted gaming warblers while you can. It'll be a cold day in May before our General Assembly passes a casino expansion bill.

Given the frigid weather we've been having, however, we COULD have more than one cold days in May. So, as my grandma used to say, "You don't never know."

In other news

Reader John Cobb asked me whether the first Beatles performance on the Ed Sullivan Show was seen in Rockford, because the CBS affiliate wasn't on the air on Feb. 9, 1964. WCEE, later WIFR, switched on sometime in 1965, so Cobb wondered if Rockfordians only saw the 1965 Sullivan shows featuring The Beatles.

We did see the first performance here - I took pictures of it on the TV screen. Before CBS had its own Rockford station, WREX-13 broadcast a mix of CBS and ABC shows, and Ed Sullivan was one of them.